Offa of Mercia seems to have ruled…

China’s Tang emperor forges an alliance in 798 with a Muslim chieftain in the west and enlists the support of the Tai kingdom of Nanzhao against the belligerent Tibetans.

This alliance begins to turn the tide of intermittent battle against the Tibetans.

Obotrites led by Thrasco (or Drożko) and Franks led by legatus Eburisus defeat the Nordalbingian Saxons in the Battle of Bornhöved (or "battle on the Swentana river"), part of the effort by the Frankish emperor, Charles, to conquer and convert Old Saxony.

Danes had settled the northern part of Holstein, Slavic Obotrites the eastern part (Wagria), and Saxons from the south had migrated into western Holstein in the process of the migrations that occurred during sixth and seventh centuries onto the territory.

According to the chronicle, the Saxons lost four thousand warriors and were forced to flee the battlefield.

The victory of Charles in the battle finally breaks the resistance of the Nordalbingian Saxons to Christianization.

Charlemagne decides to massacre the Nordalbingian Saxons or deport them: their areas in Holstein become sparsely populated and are handed over to the Obotrites.

The caliph uses the threat of his superior army to force Irene—who has deliberately kept the imperial forces weak to forestall revolts against her—to reinstate the payment of tributes agreed to by the truce that had concluded the war of 778-83.

A Frankish Jew named Isaac, an interpreter for Charlemagne, king of the Franks and Lombards, is sent in 797 on a diplomatic mission to Harun al Rashid.

Although the two other members of the mission, Lantfrid and Sigimund, had died en route, Isaac succeeds in carrying out the mission to Baghdad.

He is also credited with establishing contact between the rabbis of France and the Geanim, the Jewish leaders in Babylonia.

The Sack of Lisbon (798 CE) and the Peak of Alfonso II’s Campaigns

In 798 CE, Christian forces launch a successful raid on Lisbon, marking the high point of King Alfonso II of Asturias’s military campaigns against Al-Andalus.

This bold offensive demonstrates the growing military capability of the Asturian Kingdom, though the city remains under Muslim control. Despite this, the raid signals increasing Christian resistance and foreshadows the long-term Christian reconquest of Iberia.

The name Linz first appears in 799 for the locale of the second-century CE Roman fortress-settlement of Lentia, situated in the region of present north central Austria on the Danube River, west of Vienna.

The three archways of the gatehouse of the royal monastery at Lorsch, completed in the 790’s, imitate a Roman triumphal arch.

The gatehouse, modeled after Roman buildings, features engaged columns and pilasters as well as the Carolingian innovation of westworks.

Leo, along with with his letter informing the Frankish king hat he had been unanimously elected pope, had sent Charles the keys of the confession of St. Peter, and the standard of the city, and requested an envoy, in an effort to show that he regards the Frankish king as the protector of the Holy See.

In return, Leo had received from Charles letters of congratulation and a great part of the treasure which the king had captured from the Avars.

The acquisition of this wealth is one of the causes which will enable Leo to be such a great benefactor to the churches and charitable institutions of Rome.

While Charles's letter is respectful and even affectionate, it also exhibits Charles' concept of the coordination of the spiritual and temporal powers, nor does he hesitate to remind the pope of his grave spiritual obligations.

Charles's reply stated that it was his function to defend the Church, and the function of the Pope to pray for the realm and for the victory of his army.

A number of the relatives of Pope Adrian I, prompted by jealousy or ambition, or by feelings of hatred and revenge, form a plot to render Leo unfit to hold his sacred office.

On the occasion of the procession of the Greater Litanies (April 25, 799), when the pope is making his way towards the Flaminian Gate, he is suddenly attacked by a body of armed men.

He is dashed to the ground, and an effort is made to root out his tongue and tear out his eyes and leave him unconscious.

He is rescued by two of the king's missi, who arrive with a considerable force.

The Duke of Spoleto shelters the fugitive pope, who goes later to Paderborn, where the king's camp is currently.

The First Viking Raids on the Frankish Kingdom (799)

By the late 8th century, the Frankish kingdom experiences its first Viking incursions, marking the beginning of a centuries-long period of Norse raids along the coasts of Western Europe. These attacks, primarily launched in the summer, are carried out by Scandinavian raiders, who return to winter in their homelands before launching further assaults in subsequent years.

The Raid on Noirmoutier (799): The First Viking Attack on Continental Europe

The earliest recorded Viking raid on continental Europe occurs in 799, when Norse raiders attack the monastery of Saint Philibert of Jumièges on Noirmoutier, an island off the Atlantic coast of France. This monastic settlement, located near the mouth of the Loire River, becomes an early target due to its wealth, isolation, and lack of defenses.

This event marks:

• The first known Viking raid on Frankish territory, preceding the more famous Norse incursions into England by decades.
• The beginning of Frankish coastal vulnerability, as monasteries, rich in gold, manuscripts, and relics, become prime targets for Viking plunder.
• A preview of future Viking aggression, as Norse fleets will soon escalate their raids, reaching the Seine, Loire, and beyond.

The Beginning of the Viking Age in Francia

Though sporadic at first, Viking attacks on the Frankish kingdom will grow more frequent and intensify in the 9th century, culminating in major invasions, sieges, and settlements along the Seine and Loire Rivers, and eventually deep into the Frankish heartland. Charlemagne initially dismisses these raids as isolated acts of piracy, but by the reign of his successors, the Viking threat will become a defining crisis of the Carolingian world.

Leo had been received by the Frankish king with the greatest honor at Paderborn.

This meeting forms the basis of the epic poem Karolus Magnus et Leo Papa.

Leo’s enemies had accused the new pope of adultery and perjury.

Charles order them to Paderborn, but no decision can be made.

He then has Leo escorted back to Rome, to where he returns on November 29, 799.